Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The True Chosen One
by Spike2
Summary: With Spike resurrected, will he and Buffy be able to stop the new evil in town? This is the third and final installment to BTVS: Triangle in Sunnydale and BTVS: The Watcher. Please read those before you read this. Read and Review.
1. AfterMath

Disclaimer: All characters portrayed in this story belong to Joss Whedon and not me.

It had been three long months since his death. Three long, tearful months. Everyone was affected. Willow, Xander, Anya, Dawn, Giles and especially Buffy. Everyone refrained from mentioning his name for fear of upsetting someone. But whenever the situation did arise, there were always moments of silence. 

His crypt had been taken care of. Each item carefully packed and now rest in the Summers' basement. Dawn refused to visit his lair. He had died trying to protect her and she couldn't handle that. She was responsible. Buffy too was brought to tears and often wept silently. She found herself near the crypt every time she patrolled. She would start on one side of Sunnydale and wind up back at the crypt. His death was the worse of them all. Angel's death and even her mother's were not as bad as his. Yes, Angel's death did hurt but he received a second chance because he had a soul. And her mother, Buffy often thought, died a natural death. She had lead a good life, although cut short, and was now in heaven, waiting for them. But his death was different. He died protecting someone who shouldn't have needed his help. She should have been there to help him, help them all. What made her weep the most was that he was probably burning in hell for his earlier crimes, when he didn't deserve to be. That was what tore Buffy's heart apart. But she couldn't do anything to help him. She had to face it, Spike was dead.

She had kept a few reminders of him. No one knew, why did they have to know? Every night, before she fell asleep, she took out his long leather coat and lay it on her bed. She often used it as a blanket at night. A sort of shield from the bad memories. The smell and touch of it made her smile, if only for a moment. It was as if he had never left her. But then, her thoughts would turn to other things. She often dreamt of how she had refused their love for so long. Denied it every chance she had. _It must have made his heart ache _she thought. Now he was gone. If only she hadn't gone on that vacation. What might have happened? Would he still be here, lying in bed with her? Watching her sleep as he held her close. 

Every day was a battle. There was always something to fight or kill or destroy. But the thoughts of the group always went back to him. Finally after three months, they decided to have a proper burial for him. Giles had collected Spike's remains and they lay in an urn on the mantle. Next to it was a small painting of him, since vampires couldn't be caught in a photograph. Xander had painted it, as a sign of respect. It was of Spike standing in the sunlight with his arms outstretched, looking towards the sky smiling. Buffy liked it immediately. She didn't say it, but she gave her approval with a smile and a hug to Xander.

The burial would be in two days. Anya and Willow had taken care of everything. His remains would be buried in the Sunnydale Cemetery. A small plot had been chosen by the two young women. They had asked Buffy's opinion but she just shrugged and said it was up to them. It didn't matter where he was buried, as long as it was done right.

Giles usually kept to himself, even more than usual. It seemed like he had lost something. Confidence? Only he knew. That night would stay in his head until the day he died. If only he had attacked Ethan Rayne first. Or if he had done one simple thing different. His mind was a buzz with questions and guilt. It seemed he didn't trust himself anymore. When Buffy would ask for advice, he never gave a straight answer. He would just let her find her own solution. If he gave her advice and something went wrong, he couldn't live with that. He had also developed a strong emotional bond with Dawn. They had become closer without knowing it. If she needed to be baby sat or needed help in any way, Giles was there. It was his way of protecting her.

It seemed Spike's death affected everyone, in some way or another.


	2. Resurrected

There was a slight knock on the door. Giles looked toward it and then to Buffy who was already on her way to answer it. There in the door stood Angel. They embraced immediately. Angel wasn't high on Spike but he did care for Buffy and decided he should be there to support her in anyway he could. And he figured he did owe it to Spike. Angel was his sire and they were good friends, once.

"I'm glad you're here." Buffy spoke softly as she wiped a tear away from her eye.

"I'm sorry." Angel said as he closed the door. "Wesley and Cordelia send their regards." 

Giles was there to greet Angel next. They went to hug but both decided it be better they just shake hands. They looked at one another and emitted a small smile.

"Good to see you Giles." Angel said.

Giles nodded as he went back to the kitchen. Angel took a quick look around. It was just as he remembered it. Then as he turned back to Buffy, there was Xander, coming in for a huge hug. 

"Good to see you man." he said as he squeezed.

"Yeah. Yeah same here." Angel replied as he patted Xander on the back.

Angel slowly made his way around, greeting his old friends and sharing a quick laugh or story. Then he found himself in the living room, alone with the urn.

"Well Spike," he began as he picked the picture up and eyed it. "I didn't like you and you didn't like me. But you made quite the impact on Buffy and the gang. Guess you really did change." he said as he smiled. 

Soon it was time to eat. The group were all chatting and asking Angel questions about LA and his business. 

"So how's Cordelia?" asked Xander who then recieved an elbow in the ribs from Anya. "What?" he asked.

"Cordy's good." was Angel's reply. "So I hear you're engaged."

Xander nodded yes as Anya held up her engagement ring with a big smile. "It cost a lot." was all she said.

"So how long are you staying?" Buffy asked.

Angel took a sip of his drink and replied. "I can stay for a few days I suppose."

Dinner was cleared and the dishes washed by Dawn and Willow. The Scoobies left Buffy alone with Angel in the living room so that they could talk privately, openly.

Buffy was the first to speak. "I loved him Angel." 

Angel just stared out the window. "How was that possible? He was evil."

"No, he changed. Changed for the better." Buffy replied.

"I just can't believe it. You.....WE were enemies with him. I just can't-"

"You sired him. You were his friend. So don't tell me you can't see how I developed feelings for him." Buffy was now defending Spike's memory.

"Yes but we were evil. I didn't have a soul then. How could he have changed?" Angel asked.

"He did." Buffy said. "God why is it that every man I fall in love with leaves me."

Angel eyed her and then looked away. "I don't know."

The thunder rolled and boomed. It shook houses and the ground alike. Then, like a god had thrown it, a lightning bolt struck down onto the earth. The light of it was wondrous. It illuminated the scene around it. As the smoke cleared and the darkness returned, there in the grass lay the body of a hero. It shook and quivered. The shock no doubt of being pulled between worlds. The figure was dressed in white and the hair showed roots of brown as the dry lips parted to make their words. 

"Buffy..........."


	3. Together Again

The Summers house was asleep. Everyone had taken to bed. Giles had gone home as did Anya and Xander. Angel was welcome to Dawn's room as she slept in Buffy's. It was a small bed for such a large man, but Angel stuck it out for as long as he could until he finally couldn't take it anymore and slipped onto the floor. Willow didn't make a sound as she lay in what was once Joyce's room. Dawn snuggled under the covers and noticed that her big sister wasn't there. She opened her weary eyes for a moment and saw that Buffy was next to the window, staring out into the night's sky. She thought it best not to disturb her sister as Buffy often did this. The house was silent.

Buffy's head turned suddenly. She listened to every movement. Every scratch, every breath. She could almost hear Dawn's heart beat it was so silent. But then she heard it again. Something downstairs. Buffy quickly creeped towards her bedroom door. She was going to take this thing by surprise. She thought of whether or not she should wake Angel, but decided to let him rest as she could probably handle whatever was downstairs. A mouse or something probably.

The hallway was as dark as coal. Buffy couldn't even see her own feet. She felt her way until she saw the stairs. A light shone in through the windows downstairs and she examined everything she could see. Then she saw it! Something white, being dragged across the floor. She silently walked down the first two steps and stopped to listen again. Her imagination ran wild. A ghost? Vampires? What could it be? But she was ready for a fight. Her fists clenched she made her way down the rest of the stairs.

"Come out!" Buffy said. "I know you're down he-" was all she managed to say before she was grabbed from behind. One hand, holding her arms and the other holding her arms. But wait a minute she thought. She knew that touch. It was eerily familiar. Then the hand from her mouth went away and she could hear someone taking in a long breath. Her mind was alive with fear, confusion, excitement, every feeling she had ever experienced, and some she hadn't. What was going on? Then a barrel of smoke arose from behind her. She was turned around and her eyes were covered by a hand. She felt the sweet familiar embrace of lips like she had so many times before. Although her eyes were covered and no words had been spoken, she knew who it was. The hand was removed and Buffy opened her tearful eyes as she began to cry. But not a sad cry. No. One of the most joyous cries she had ever had. There in front of her stood Spike.

"Good to see you love."


	4. Vampires

"How?" asked Buffy.

"I don't know." replied Spike. 

The two were sitting on Buffy's couch. They hadn't bothered to wake anyone else up, no they wanted to be alone. Buffy was ecstatic. She couldn't stop smiling but she was asking a lot of questions to which Spike had no answers for.

"So where were you? I mean, were you in heaven or hell? What was it like?"

Spike suddenly lost his smile and a sad look came over his face. He looked Buffy straight in the eyes. They had never connected on such a level, but now it would happen. The past was the past, everything that happened between them, all the denying, all the hate, everything fell away.

"I was surrounded by darkness. There was no one else." Spike began. "It was so lonely."

"How long were you there?" asked Buffy who put her hand onto his as she spoke.

"I don't know love. Felt like a lifetime. It was just darkness. Everywhere around me, darkness." Spike looked away. "I've never been so afraid in me life."

Buffy was holding back her tears. She leaned into Spike and held him as he rest on her chest, listening to her heart beat. But then Spike pulled away and turned from Buffy as he seemed to dry his eyes. "Yes well." he said.

"It's ok." Buffy began as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm just glad you're back." 

They lay their for the rest of the night. Resting in each other's arms. Something they both missed dearly. But soon it was day. The sun poured in from the window and awoke Buffy. She looked to her right. There lay her love. The sun really brought out his features, she thought.

Buffy's eyes then went wide. She immediately pulled Spike out of the sun and awoke him doing so.

"What are you doing?!" he shouted.

"You were in the sun." she replied. Buffy examined Spike's face but found no scars, burns or anything that would show that he had been in the sun. "Why aren't you burnt?"

"I don't know love. Maybe I was in the shady part of the couch." Spike said as he smiled.

Buffy was puzzled. "No you weren't. You were directly in the sun."

"Ok I'll show you." Spike said as he gently pushed Buffy off. With this he got up, still dressed in his white cloak and headed for the door. As Buffy watched, Spike opened the front door, looked at her and stuck his hand out into the sun. His hand was untouched.

"What the bloody hell?" he said bewildered. "I'm a vampire!"

Buffy ran to his side and laughed. But Spike wasn't laughing. He looked to Buffy with the most frightened expression she, or anyone else, had ever seen. "What's happening to me?" Spike removed his hand and walked back into the house. "Shut the door." he demanded.

"But this is good isn't it?" Buffy asked. She didn't close the door. 

"Good?" Spike asked. "Until I find out what's going on-" Buffy interrupted him.

"Come out with me." she said as she walked backwards out the door with her arms outstretched. Spike was very hesitant. He took a few steps and stopped. Buffy motioned for him to come further and smiled. It was the smile that persuaded Spike. He couldn't resist it. Slowly, he made his way out the door. The first ray of light hit his face and he backed away a few inches. Buffy took his hands and pulled him in. They were standing in the sun. 

"I should be burning up." Spike said. He looked to Buffy who such a happy expression, which made him smile and he even managed a laugh. "So it isn't all bad."

"Spike.........Buffy?" came a voice from inside the house.

The happy couple looked towards the door and Spike's grin vanished. 

"Angel...." he growled.


	5. Powers That Be

It took Buffy quite a lot of explaining to Spike to get him to calm down about Angel being there. There was obvious tension between the two, but because of their love for Buffy, neither let it go farther than that. A few hours passed and soon everyone was awoken from their slumber.

The gang was mesmerized, happy, confused and even a little frightened. The Scoobies along with Angel and Giles, who had come back over, were all gathered in the living room of the Summers' house. Everyone was obviously happy but there remained an underlying feeling of fear. No one, including Spike himself, knew why he was back from the dead, but some had theories.

"Maybe you're cursed." Anya said.

Spike looked at her and grunted as he patted himself down, looking for his smokes. When he found nothing, he looked around at everyone. As he passed from face to face, everyone shrugged. Then it came to Dawn. She was sitting next to him, since she, next to Buffy, was the happiest to see him. But she too shrugged when Spike looked to her for a cigarette.

"I should hope not." Giles said.

"Bloody hell. Resurrected and I can't find a fag." Spike complained.

"So..........how do you feel?" asked Angel.

"Fine Angelus. I feel like I'm a new man. Gonna start repenting for me sins I am. Feel like I got a soddin' soul." Spike said sarcastically.

Angel smiled mockingly. "Liked you better when you were dead." came Angel's response. Spike grinned.

"Um, I have a question." Dawn timidly asked while tugging at Spike's outfit. "What's with the dress?"

Spike looked at her suddenly, "It's a cloak!" he said, defending his attire.

"Whatever it is, it's ugly on you. And your hair-"

"Watch it niblet." Spike responded. "But I guess you're right. Need to get out of these soddin' clothes." He looked to Buffy. "Where ARE my clothes love?"

"I kept them." Buffy said finally, after leading Spike upstairs, away from everyone. He immediately grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in, kissing her. But Buffy broke away from him. "Spike, everyone is downstairs." she said.

"So? C'mon Slayer. A little slap and tickle?" he said as he dropped his cloak.

Buffy gave a faint laugh. She leaned in for a kiss as Spike closed his eyes. "Get dressed." she said as she pushed his leather coat into his chest and giggled. 

"Tease." Spike called out as she ran out the door.

Down the stairs came the man. He was now dressed in his old threads. Black boots, black pants, black t-shirt, his favourite red shirt and of course his leather trench coat. This was the Spike that they all remembered. Even Angel was a bit glad to see his old friend back the way he should be. 

"Good to be back!" Spike yelled.

"What about your hair?" asked Dawn.

"Oh for. Can't you go two minutes without criticizing me Dawn?" Spike asked.

Dawn grinned and shrugged. "Guess not."

"S'pose I should be a pure blond again. How bad is it?" 

"Come up with me. I have some peroxide in the bathroom." Dawn replied as she headed up the stairs.

The bathroom was full of cosmetic materials and girly stuff, according to Spike. When he went up, there was Dawn, ready and waiting. He took a step in and out of the corner of his eye saw someone else. He jumped a bit and looked. There he stood. Spike was staring at himself in the mirror. He grinned and examined his every feature.

"This is new." he said as Dawn looked on amazed.

"Buffy!" she called out.

Everyone hurried up, except for Angel, who seemed like he was deep in thought. The Scoobies gathered around, as best they could since the bathroom wasn't that big. Every body was stunned. Spike could now be seen in a mirror.

"I'm not a vampire......." was all Spike said. "There's no way I'm a vamp."

No one knew whether to comfort him or congratulate him. Spike just kept saying it over and over again. "I'm not a vampire."

"I think we should go." Angel said.

"Where?" asked Spike.

"To see the Powers That Be."


	6. Chosen

"So what am I?" demanded Spike.

He and Angel had gone alone, much to the dismay of Buffy. She protested but Spike wanted to find out himself. The two vampires, the two loves of Buffy both past and present, were now standing in front of the Powers That Be. It only took a day to get to them. Angel had lead the way so far, finding his link to them. But now it was up to Spike. He stood in front of them with Angel a few feet behind, listening to every word.

"You are the chosen one." came the booming voice. It seemed to belong to no one even though there stood at least five of them. They were dressed in white cloaks like the one Spike had worn before.

"No. The Slayer is the chosen one." came Spike's reply.

"You are OUR chosen one. Slayers come and go. We needed an immortal and we have put that honour upon you, William." was Spike's answer.

"Why? Why do you need an immortal?" Angel spoke.

"We needed an immortal to fight our battles. One that can't be killed. If the Slayer died, the battle is over. With a vampire, he can fight for an eternity."

Spike smiled. "Yeah. That's nice and all, but what if I get staked....again? Where will your bloody fight be then?"

"You cannot be killed. We have given you true immortality." said the Powers.

"Yeah but what if he's staked?" Angel cut in, repeating the question.

"Stakes are useless! He has no weaknesses, except........" the voice trailed off.

"What? Except what?" asked Spike.

"Emotion......that is your only weakness."

Angel seemed confused. "Emotion?"

"Yes."

"But what's my purpose? What demon do I have to kill?" Spike still had a lot of questions.

"You have been selected out of many. You must fight our battles for us. We will call on you when we need you and you shall protect us, or whomever we choose." boomed the voice.

"Why me? Why not him?" Spike asked as he pointed to Angel.

"You have showed the least emotion. You are a true warrior and display no feelings or morals."

"Gee thanks." came Spike as he turned his back to the Powers. "Let's get out of here Angel."

"Wait!" yelled the voice.

"Bugger off." Spike replied as he stuck up two fingers.  


It took another day to get back. It was a long journey. Spike and Angel barely spoke a word to one another. When one did say something, the other replied with a nod or a grunt or a growl when Spike said something sarcastic. Soon they were pulling up in front of the Summers' home. 

"You tell them." was all Spike said. "Never was too good at public speeches."

Immediately after entering the house the blond vampire went upstairs. Angel called the group into the living room and told them the full story. Giles seemed the most interested.

"Invincible," was all he said.

Buffy listened to everything Angel told them and then headed upstairs to see Spike. She found him, laying on her bed with a cross laying on his bare stomach and holding a wooden stake to his heart. The cross left no burn on him. He looked to Buffy and gave a weak smile. "They chose me." he said as he plunged the stake into his heart. Buffy screamed out and ran for him but realized the stake, like everything else, had no affect on her love. It penetrated but Spike just removed it again as the wound immediately healed itself.

"I thought you'd be happy." Buffy asked as she sat on the bed next to him and took the stake away.

"I should be." came Spike. He looked into Buffy's eyes, "It's just unsettling is all."

"Don't worry, I'll be here with you." Buffy replied as she lay down with Spike. "Nothing can hurt you." she said. "Nothing can hurt us."

Crack! The bones crunched and the screams howled from the victim. "Where's the Slayer?!" shouted the imposing demon who had a cowardly vampire in his clutches. He squeezed it's arms some more. "Where?!"

"I.....I don't know!" cried the vamp. The demon yelled out in disgust and anger as he ripped the vampire to shreds. He dusted his hands off and bared his menacing teeth. "I'll find her........."


	7. Jealousy and Evil

The sun fell down onto her face and awoke her. She sat up and rubbed her tired eyes as she looked around for her love. She soon found him, standing in front of the mirror. The sun complimented his every feature she noticed, as he blew out a puff of smoke. He turned and looked at her as he smiled. Soon they were back in each other's arms under Buffy's sheets.

"So what do you think?" asked Angel as he took a sip of the pig's blood which Giles had provided.

"Think about what?" asked the former Watcher.

"Spike. What do you make of all this?" Angel inquired.

"To be honest, I'm still quite taken back that they chose him." Giles replied as he poured up his cup of tea.

"Join the club." Angel said. "But I'm worried about Buffy."

"Why?"

"I just don't trust Spike. I mean, what if he hurts her?" Angel asked.

"Why would he do that?" Giles responded.

"Because now he's unstoppable." came the reply.

"What has that got to do with it?" 

"I'm just worried he'll fall back into old habits, I mean now that he has the power and all." Angel said as he took a gulp of his drink.

"Angel!" Giles scolded. "He's not the same man that you, or we for that matter, knew. He's different now."

"He was a monster, Giles." Angel retorted.

"And so were you!" They both fell silent. Angel's eyes looked to the floor as did Giles. "People change Angel. I guess Spike did too."

"We're not people Giles!" Angel said in a raised voice. "Me and him, we're evil. As much as I hate to admit it, deep down, me and Spike are evil. Now with that power, God knows what he'll do."

"I don't believe that. You changed didn't you?" Giles asked.

"Yes, I did change. But only because of my soul. Spike changed because of a chip. Now that that's gone......" Angel trailed off. "I just don't trust him."

"I wouldn't either mate." came Spike's voice as he marched into the kitchen. Angel eyed him as Spike looked to Giles. "I'll have what he's having." he said as he pointed to Angel's drink.

"C'mon Angelus, this is your friend Spike you're talking about. Why don't you trust me?" Spike grinned. "Is it that your jealous perhaps? Knowing I can rip you apart before you can even begin to beg for mercy." Angel took offence and stood up. They stood face to face, both giving a slight growl. Giles was quick to intervene with Spike's drink which, fortunately, took his attention away from his sire.

"Good morning all." Buffy cheerfully said as she entered the kitchen. "How are my men today?"

Giles smiled and said good morning as did Angel. Spike pinched Buffy's behind as she passed by him and winked at her when she looked. Angel stood up and grabbed his coat.

"Where are you going?" asked Giles.

"Time for me to be heading back to L.A." Angel replied. 

"So soon?" asked Buffy as she walked over next to him.

"Yeah. I have things that need to be taken care of." he said as he hugged Buffy and leaned over the counter with his arm outstretched.

"Good bye Giles." 

"Good bye Angel." was Giles reply as they shook hands.

"Spike." 

"Angelus."

Angel gave one last glance around and then turned to Buffy. "If there's any trouble."

"There won't be." Spike interrupted.

She gave him a blanket to protect him from the sun and watched as he got into his car, with the dark tinted windows she had noticed, and drove away. They listened as the car roared down the street. Everything was back to normal.

Spike's crypt was demolished. The walls broken and the ceiling fell as the enraged demon stomped it's feet and growled. "SLAYER!"


	8. Sin

It was too easy. The demons never had a chance. The lethal combination of a Slayer and an unstoppable vampire was just too much for them. Spike and Buffy dusted vampires with ease and disposed of the demons even better. Usually, Buffy would allow Spike to jump them first. If he was outnumbered then Buffy would help him out. Not that he needed it, but she grew impatient when he took more than a few minutes to kill them. So there they were, an unbeatable force. They must have killed about eighteen vampires that night and about a dozen demons. But now, Buffy was somewhat exhausted and Spike was tired of the same old thing. 

"I need a soddin' challenge." He said. He was covered from head to toe. The blood was dried on and his clothes were covered in dust. But he wasn't happy.

"This isn't fun anymore." Spike said as he looked around. "This is too easy."

"Maybe for you, but I'm having trouble keeping up." Buffy said as she leaned against a tomb.

"Hey I know what, let's go to me crypt love." Spike said with a gleam in his eye. "Have some fun."

Buffy just stared straight ahead. "I'm too tired."

"Oh come on Slayer." Spike pleaded. "Here I'll help you." he said as he reached down and helped her up. She leaned on him as they walked. 

It didn't take long. Soon they were standing in front of the remains of Spike's crypt. It lay demolished. 

"Bloody hell!" shouted Spike. "What happened here?!"

Even Buffy was a bit surprised. _What possessed the power to do this? _she thought. Spike knelt down and examined what remained of his once home. "Who would do this? Who'd be bloody stupid enough to do this to me?!" Spike was not his usual calm. He turned to Buffy and noticed her eyes were focused on the ground. He saw it then too. Huge footsteps, leading to and from his crypt.

"Looks like someone was looking for you." 

"Seems that way." Spike said. "Whoever it was has big feet, and a small brain to mess with me."

"Demolished?" asked Giles.

The two had gone to him and told their story. Giles seemed to be a bit upset.

"What's wrong?" asked Buffy.

"Well. They obviously were looking for Spike. So I'm assuming they know about his new powers." Giles said.

"Yeah, what's your point?" asked Spike.

"Well, maybe they want to prove a point by defeating you.......or worse." Giles replied.

"I'm a soddin' god Watcher! They can't hurt me." Spike said in a raised voice. He wasn't scared but Giles was.

"Yes that's my point." Giles said as he looked to Dawn who could be seen in the other room watching television. They both knew what he was now talking about. 

"No one is in danger Giles. I wouldn't let them hurt the 'bit." Spike whispered so that Dawn wouldn't hear.

"I hope you're right Spike."

"She wasn't there!!" the demon growled.

"He.....hey now big fella. I ju...just said she's been seen with the scum vampire Spike. I didn't say she'd be there waiting." a little frightened demon said to his overbearing companion. The larger of the two growled a bit and picked up the smaller one. 

"Don't worry Sin ....." whimpered the small demon. "We'll find her."

"Yes. We will find her." said Sin. "And when we do........she dies."


	9. Bunnies and Masacres

"So Dawny, what one do you want?" asked Xander as they both stood in front of a display of videos. 

"I don't know. How about _Texas Chainsaw Massacre?_" she asked.

Xander gave her a sickening look. "How about something less chainsawy and something more happy?" he said as he picked out _Fluffy Bunny's Day at the Circus_.

"Again?" Dawn whined.

"Hey!" Xander retorted. "It's a classic."

It was no use. Xander had picked out the most childish movie he could find and Dawn knew she wouldn't be allowed to see the movies she wanted, the ones with the gruesome stuff. She saw enough of that in her everyday life. Everything from vampires to horned demons to gods, she thought as her mind came upon Glory. She shuddered and got closer to Xander. He looked down at her and smiled.

"See. Fluffy Bunny it is." he said with a smile.

Dawn was about to start to complain but she never got the chance. The main window to Sunnydale's largest video crashed. Everyone hit the floor in fear. Only Xander remained standing, he was used to this sort of thing. Although when he saw what was behind the crash made him get down on the floor next to Dawn. There stood Sin. The most evil looking horrible demon that Xander had ever saw, and he saw a lot of them.

"Get behind the counter." he whispered to Dawn. Dawn nodded her head and quickly crawled behind the counter.

"We're looking for the one they call Dawn!" shouted Sin. 

No one said anything. A few people tried to run but were easily caught by Sin's demon helpers. Some screamed and got their necks broken because of it. 

"I won't say it again! I have been told that the little one, Dawn, is in there among you humans! Send her out and no one shall perish." Sin yelled.

Again no one said anything. People were crying and some were shaking in fear. Xander noticed the door leading to the back of the store. He signalled Dawn and soon they were both in the back, safe from danger. 

"We gotta get Buffy." Xander said as he opened the door and stepped outside. He hadn't had the time to take a breath when he was hauled down to the cold unforgiving ground by a demon. Dawn jumped back. The demon had not seen her. She hid next to the door and listened.

"Where are you going?" hissed the demon.

"Funniest thing." Xander said with a fake laugh. "Turns out they didn't have my movie." 

The demon didn't smile. He in turn seemed to call out to his buddies in a strange language that Xander, nor the listening Dawn, knew. It didn't take long before Xander was surrounded by demons and of course Sin. The leader picked up the young Harris boy with ease and held him close. Xander's hair blew back slightly as Sin's hot breath engulfed him. 

"Where do you think you were going boy?!" Sin shouted. "S'pose you don't know where this Dawn creature is do you?"

Xander smiled, trying to charm his way out of his predicament. "Dawn? That's a weird name. Nope, no Dawn here." 

Sin's nostrils flared as he eyed the nervous male. "I don't believe you." he growled. "In fact, I'd say you know her."

"Would I lie?" asked Xander.

"I don't know. Would you?" snarled Sin as he grabbed Xander's arm. He could feel it being crushed within Sin's grasp and Xander cried out in pain. "Please! I don't know what you're talking about." 

"You're lying!" shouted Sin. "Boys what do we do to liars?" the leader asked his men.

"We make'em pay." hissed two or three voices.

"That's right." Sin replied as he took Xander's other arm and easily broke it. Dawn could do nothing. She just sat and listened to Xander's cries of pain as the tears fell from her cheeks. After a while, she heard them departing. She waited for a few minutes and then took a peek outside of the door. There lay Xander, broken and almost dead. He gasped for air, his breaths short. Dawn rushed to his side. 

"G.....get.....get Buffy." was all Xander managed.


	10. Giving Up The Gift

"I'm going to kill him...." Buffy said dryly as she began to pack up some weapons. Xander lay on the couch, wincing in pain. Anya and Willow were trying to comfort him while Giles and Spike talked to Buffy.

"You can't just go after this thing!" Spike said.

"He's right Buffy. Whatever did this to Xander is frighteningly strong." Giles added.

"So am I!" replied Buffy as she packed the last of her desired weapons. "Look what he did to Xander, Giles."

"If he did this to Xander, what do you think he'll do to you love?" asked Spike.

Buffy paused for a moment, trying to come up with an answer. "I don't know."

"Let me do it." Spike said. "I got these new powers, let me use them Slayer." He was pleading by this point, afraid of what might happen to her. He wanted to grab her and make her stay, then she'd be safe. But even Spike knew that with all the new found power he had, he couldn't stop an unhappy Slayer.

"No." Buffy said. "When they are looking for Dawn, they find ME."

Giles was about to argue with his Slayer but out of the corner of his eye he noticed something that saddened him deeply. There in the corner was Dawn, crying as she watched Xander. Giles immediately went to her while Spike continued to plead with Buffy.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" asked the concerned Giles as he wiped the tears from her cheeks. 

"It's always me." Dawn said between tears. "All I bring is pain and hurt. Glory hurt Tara because of me, Xander's arms are broken.....Buffy died because of me!" she sobbed.

Giles pulled her close and lay his chin on her head as he stroked her hair.

"It's ok child. None of this is your fault." 

"It's all my fault Mr. Giles!" 

"No it isn't Dawn. No it isn't." Giles said as the door slammed. He looked up with a worried look. Spike looked to him and nodded. "I'll get her." he said.

"Where are you going?" Spike asked as he finally caught up to Buffy.

"If you don't want to help, just leave. I'll do it myself." Buffy replied without stopping. 

"Hey!" Spike shouted as he grabbed her arm. 

"Spike stop it. This thing hurt my friend and now I'm going to hurt it......badly."

"Not without me you bloody well won't!" Spike said in a raised voice as he slowly released her arm. They began to walk. "Where do you want to look first?" 

"The one place where they'd be." Buffy replied.

"And where's that love?" Spike asked while he lit up a cigarette.

"The Initiative caves."

It seemed like forever to Spike to reach the caves. Buffy was possessed. She never missed a step and just kept pressing forward to Spike's amazement. Usually he had more endurance than her but not tonight. They finally came upon them, but there was a problem. There wasn't just one cave, there were about a dozen Spike noticed. 

"How in soddin' hell do we know which one?" he asked.

"Hey!" Buffy yelled. "I'm here......come and get me!" 

Spike gave a small laugh. "Good plan Slayer. Get them to come to us." He was naive. To his surprise, out came about a dozen demons. 

"So which one of you is this Sin fellow?" Spike shouted.

"I'm Sin!" came the agonizing voice from the darkness.

Their eyes went to the sound and out stepped Sin. Buffy was a bit taken back. She had thought about how big this demon must have been but she never realized. Spike showed no fear although his stomach sunk. "Bloody hell." he said.

"Slayer......." Sin growled.

"Sorry mate, you have to go through me first." Spike commented as he stepped in front of Buffy. Buffy gave him a weird look but never said a word.

"You? A vampire I'm guessing." Sin laughed.

"Yeah that's right." Spike retorted

"Boys!" Sin shouted.

Spike was tackled. The whole pack of demons was on top of him. 

"And then there were two." hissed Sin.

"Bring it on." Buffy said as she dropped her bag of weapons and ran at the enemy. Sin tried to grab her but she was too quick for him and too small. She slid between his legs and jumped back up, easily kicking him in the back. He grunted and fell forward a few steps. He turned and laughed as Buffy went for a high kick to his face. It was blocked as was three more attempts. Finally, Buffy was caught with a hard right to her temple. She went down in a hurry but got back up. Sin gave a mock applause. "No one's ever gotten up from that. Congratulations."

"Go to hell." Buffy said. Sin was about to attack but was stopped by the body of one of his slaves. He looked to where it had come from and noticed that the vampire was holding his own against the demons, even though he was outnumbered.

He snickered and turned back to Buffy but was met with a kick. He growled in a mix of pain and anger and grabbed Buffy's ankle as she came up with another kick. He squeezed, like he had done with Xander. "This seems familiar." he grinned. "Speaking of which......how is the liar?"

Buffy winced in pain as she felt her ankle bone crack slowly. The pain was unbearable, she had to do something. But she didn't have to. Spike was there to help out as he caught Sin in the face with a fist. He pulled back and grabbed his fist in pain. "Soddin' hell!" he shouted as he was once again taken down from behind by the demons. It was enough though. Buffy broke free and limped back a few steps as she examined her ankle. It was broken no doubt, but she kept going. She went down low and caught the leader in the back of the knee with a sweeping action as he hit the ground. Growls were all that was heard as she jumped on his chest and began to punch. It was no use, Sin was too strong. He didn't even bother to block the Slayer's punches, he just absorbed them. Buffy stopped for a split second. _This was exhausting_, she thought. _I should be winning. _She hadn't gotten the thought through her head as she felt the large scaly hand on her throat. She gasped for air but none reached her lungs as Sin slowly got to his feet, the hand never leaving his prey.

"I've heard so much about you Slayer. How strong you were; how you're such a good fighter." Sin spit in Buffy's face. "You're nothing! Nothing!" he yelled. He lifted Buffy over his head as she tried to call out to Spike. Spike didn't look, he was busy finishing off his demons. That was the last thing Buffy saw. Sin growled. "Good bye Slayer." he said as he brought Buffy's body down over his knee, cracking her spine in several places. She went limp. Her eyes frozen in terror. 

"Ha ha!" Spike laughed as he flipped the last demon. He had won. The dozen or so demons were down for the count. "Spike 1, demons 0." he said as he looked to where Buffy had stood.

"Slay-" he tried to call out. His words disappeared as his eyes fell on Buffy, who lay on the ground with Sin standing over her laughing. 

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Spike screamed. He charged Sin and took him down hard. "YOU BASTARD!" he shouted as his fists came down onto the killer's face. This time Sin didn't laugh it off, he tried unsuccessfully to block Spike's blows but it was no use. Spike was a pissed off super powered vampire. There was no stopping him. The fists came down, over and over. They went down to strike as white but came up red, covered in blood. Over and over until Sin stopped putting up a fight and lay dead. Spike stopped for a few seconds, panting. He looked to Buffy's body and immediately went to it.

"No.....no Slayer. Not now.....please....." Spike said as he took her lifeless body in his arms. His eyes quickly filled with tears and he looked to sky. "Let me have her! Please! Let me have her!" he screamed over and over. It was no use, Buffy was dead and gone but then Spike had an idea. "Powers! Powers where the bloody hell are you?!" 

Lightning struck as Spike once again heard the eerie booming voice. "Why do you call upon us?"

"Let me have her...." Spike pleaded. He didn't see anyone but he felt the presence. "Please......."

"That cannot be." said the voice. "There is nothing we can do."

"I'll give it back!" Spike shouted.

The powers seemed confused. "What do you mean vampire?"

"The soddin' gift you gave me. Gift for the girl." Spike said.

"No."

"I won't be your warrior!" Spike yelled. "I'll use your powers against you."

"You cannot do that!"

"Bloody well watch me. Give me the Slayer and I give up your gift. I'll even give you a better warrior!"

The voice seemed to pause. "Who is this one you speak of?" It asked.

"Angelus. He'll gladly accept your gift and be your right hand man. Please......just give me the girl." Spike's tough front faded and his true desperation showed. He couldn't stop his sobbing. This was a new feeling for him, he never shed tears for anyone, not even his own family. But he loved Buffy like no other. He needed her, she needed him. He looked to the sky, Buffy lay still in his arms.

"So be it." boomed the voice as the ground shook and the lightning struck down.

Spike held his love close. He looked into her eyes which were still lifeless. "C'mon.....c'mon. Please!" Spike cried. His cries were answered. Buffy blinked, once then twice. Spike smiled. "Buffy." 

"Spike." she said lovingly. It was the perfect moment. Spike leaned in and gave his love a kiss. The sweetest kiss either had ever had. But their moment didn't last.

"If the one you call Angelus is not worthy........" boomed the voice.

"He's worthy." Spike replied. "Trust me."

"Very well." said the voice. "But are you sure she's worth the gift?"

Spike looked to Buffy and they smiled. "She is more than worth it." 


End file.
